Planners Delay Santiago Hills Vote

Orange planning commissioners have delayed their verdict on the proposed Santiago Hills Phase II housing development until Sept. 18, when the developer will respond to questions raised at a public hearing Thursday.

The decision to delay a vote came shortly before midnight Thursday, after about five hours of comments from area residents and presentations by the developer, the Irvine Co.

The comments included statements in favor of the project, including support from a former critic, the East Orange Neighborhood Committee.

However, residents south of the proposed development criticized the project.

Almost two dozen residents from Cowan Heights complained that they were never notified of the development.

Many of them asked planning commissioners to delay a vote on the project until they could learn more about it.

“Our community is just 300 yards from the south end of the development, yet we haven’t gotten one piece of mail on this,” resident Eric Noble said. “We feel abandoned by Orange.”

Cowan Heights is not in Orange, although it is served by the Orange Unified School District. Officials and developers said all required notices were given.

The developer has proposed constructing 1,746 homes on a 494-acre parcel bordered by Irvine Regional Park, Jamboree Road and the Eastern toll road.

The proposal is the first phase of a larger plan to develop 7,110 acres of unincorporated county land east of Orange.